1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a knee guard and brace having a pair of support pads which are secured to a user's leg by straps and which are connected to longitudinal support ribs which interact with each other within a mechanical joint structure which is worn at the side of a user's knee. More particularly, it relates to such a knee guard and brace in which the ends of the support pads can, during fitting operations, move inwardly and outwardly, to a certain extent independently of the ribs. The invention has specific application in reducing the chance of injury and the extent of damage from a lateral blow to the knee area which an athlete may incur during contact sports and to give aid and support in the rehabilitation of a knee injury, especially one in which the medial collateral ligament of the knee joint has been torn or weakened.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Knee guards and braces having a single, laterally-worn side member with two ribs pivotally connected to a mechanical joint structure which together with it form an arch over the knee joint are known in the prior art. Such knee guards and braces are utilized primarily to protect the knee joint of a wearer from a lateral blow.
Recognizing that the forces from a lateral blow to the arch in the outer side member of a knee guard and brace act on the support pads anchoring the ribs to the thigh and calf and that these forces tend to move the ends of these pads proximal the knee inwardly unless sufficiently strong restraining forces are applied to the ends of the support pads distal the knee, Daniell in U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,967 taught the use of elongated support pads. To magnify the effects of the restraining forces supplied by straps securing the ends of such pads distal the knee, Daniell subsequently extended them longitudinally as far as possible in a direction away from the knee joint and from their junctures with the ribs.
None of the previous knee guards and braces having a single, laterally-worn side member and intended for use in contact sports, however, utilizes elongated support pads which extend longitudinally from their junctures with the ribs both away from the knee joint and into close proximity of it. In the case of knee guards and braces in which the ribs are rigidly attached to the support pads, the amount of custom-fitting required to reshape the ribs and the support pads to accommodate individual differences in the inclination of the femur relative to the tibia would be excessive. Even more troublesome would be the fact that the force of a lateral blow to the arch in such a knee guard and brace causes both the arch and the ends of the pads proximal the knee to deform medially that is, in a direction toward the median plane of the human body, the plane which divides the body lengthwise into symmetrical halves. With the pad ends close to the knee joint, much of the impact of the blow would be sustained by the knee joint itself, abrogating the primary benefit of wearing the knee guard and brace.
On the other hand, knee guards and braces with a single, laterally-worn side member having ribs which are flexibly connected to elongated support pads, although generally not requiring custom-fitting and having less tendency for the ends of the pads proximal the knee to deform medially with the arch, would also be unsuitable, especially for use on a playing field, since these ends of the support pads cannot prevent parts of the knee joint from moving inwardly under the influence of valgusdirected non-contact forces with possible severe injury to the knee. inwardly toward the knee joint could severely injure it. Indeed, knee guards and braces with both lateral and medial side members have, in the past, been considered necessary to prevent injury from valgus-directed non-contact forces. Otherwise, when the knee joint bows inwardly under the influence of non-contact forces, there is no medial side member present to become taut against the knee and thereby reduce the chance of collapse of the joint.